Six citizens of Russia were killed in a fire on the fishing vessel Taigan in a Japanese port, the Russian general consulate in Sapporo told Interfax.

"The fire killed six people. All of them are citizens of Russia," Russian general consulate attache Valery Kaminsky told Interfax in a phone interview from Sapporo.

Three people hurt in the fire were hospitalized with burns, the diplomat said. Their names and citizenship are currently being determined.

"A total of 23 people were working aboard the vessel, including 19 citizens of Russia and four citizens of Ukraine," Kaminsky said.

It was reported earlier that the Cambodian-flagged crab fishing vessel Taigan caught fire at Wakkanai Port on Hokkaido Island in northern Japan on Wednesday evening. Seventeen crewmembers managed to escape the burning vessel.